LAHORE, Jan 28:

Large-scale erratic postings (involving senior posts given to junior officers and vice versa) and appointments on contractual terms by the Punjab government diminish career prospects for the mid-career civil bureaucracy in Punjab which is also not happy with the recent cut in the number of their posts in the name of austerity.According to a study conducted by Dawn, mid-career officers of the district management group (DMG) and the provincial services are deeply disturbed by reduction of their posts of BS-17 to 21. Many of them said the government could have saved billions through abolishing all contract appointments.“Besides contract appointments, erratic postings block the promotion prospects of many officers denying them their right to serve at places matching their grades and rank,” a senior official said on the condition of anonymity.The facts and figures obtained by Dawn provide only a hint of the provincial government’s plan to maintain a parallel force on a contract basis for jobs which its stream of sidelined officials can perform without any extra burden on its finances.As reported earlier by Dawn, there is one post of BS-22 in Punjab which is of the chief secretary.

But four more DMG BS-22 officers are staying here against BS-21 posts, who are Additional Chief Secretary Sami Saeed, Senior Member Board of Revenue Akhlaq Tarar, Planning and Development Chairman Javaid Aslam and former chief secretary Javed Mehmood.Fifteen BS-21 officers are serving as administrative secretaries whereas there are only five sanctioned posts for such officers in the province. Seven of the 15 were recently promoted to BS-21. Six of them are being kept in Punjab despite the non-availability of seats while the seventh officer, Tahir Raza Naqvi, has himself opted to go to Islamabad. The posting of these officers against BS-20 posts has created unrest among the officers of the grade.

These BS-21 secretaries include: Arif Nadeem (agriculture), Khalid Pervaiz (cooperatives), Haseeb Athar (higher education), Sajjad Salim Hotiana (environment), Tariq Bajwa (finance), Shahid Khan (home), Mirza Sohail Amir (housing), Arshad bin Ahmad (minorities), Abdur Rauf Khan (labour), Khyzer Hayat Gondal (local government), Rashida Malik (MPDD), Farkhanda Wasim Afzal (ombudsman’s secretary), Nahid Rizvi (archives), Karim Bakhsh Abid (zakat) and Saeed Alvi (Tevta).Two more BS-20 posts of secretaries of prosecution and law are being occupied by former Sindh inspector genera Rana Maqbool Ahmad, a retired PSP officer, and Dr Abul Hasan Najmi, a retired judicial officer who later served as Punjab Assembly secretary. They are working on contract basis in the presence of several BS-20 serving officials.Chief Minister’s Secretary Dr Tauqir, Auqaf Secretary Tariq Pasha, Health Secretary Fawad Hasan Fawad, P&D Secretary Ali Tahir and Tourism Secretary Ashraf Khwaja are BS-19 officers but hold BS-20 posts.

Tariq Pasha belongs to the income tax service and his posting is appeared to be most pinching for the DMG or provincial service officers who are not being appointed as secretaries despite being in BS-20.The posts of special secretaries are for BS-20 officers but are being held by those in BS-19. They include Farhan Khwaja (agriculture marketing), Naveed Alauddin (finance), Wasim Mukhtar (health), and Shaukat Ali (home).Those opposing such erratic postings say that that the presence of senior officers over and above their grade strength was blocking the promotion prospects of those juniors to them. They must go to Islamabad to allow posting of the existing BS-20 officers as secretaries or promotion of BS-19 officers to the next higher grade.The posting of junior officers against BS-20 posts too was an injustice with the officers of DMG and provincial services because this denied them right to get the mid-career experience of service vital for ably holding the policy making posts in higher grades.The list of those appointed on a contract basis is long.

The office of the ombudsman, created for controlling maladministration in Punjab, is reportedly having 25 consultants or special advisers.The Punjab Service Tribunal and the Punjab Public Service Commission must have half members from amongst the serving officials of the provincial government reportedly under the law. But all their members are on contract basis.The members of the Punjab Service Tribunal are: Syed Muhammad Hamid Shah, Riaz Chaudhry, Zafar Iqbal, Talat Mehmood Tariq, Ayub Malik and Rai Ejaz Ali Malik.The 16 members of the Punjab Public Service Commission include retired DMG officers and almost all the IGS who have retired from service in the past few years. They include Shaukat Javaid, Pervaiz Rathor, Ahmad Nasim, Azhar Hasan Nadeem, Fayyaz Bashir, Safdar Javaid Syed, Ziaur Rehman, Iftikhar Ahmad, Ghiyasuddin and Humayun Farshori.A former DMG senior officer, Tariq Ayub, is working as director general of the Punjab Institute of Languages and Culture on contractual terms.

Those objecting to their appointment say that they are not only occupying their posts, but also the sprawling government residences which should be given to those in service.

Irregular postings diminish career growth for many | DAWN.COM | Latest news, Breaking news, Pakistan News, World news, business, sport and multimedia

Govt yet to appoint member Inland Revenue

ISLAMABAD: The government is still indecisive to appoint a member Inland Revenue System (IRS), a post that monitors and execute over 89 per cent of the total revenue collection which fell vacant following major reshuffling of top tax officials last week.

The post is responsible for collection of Rs1,431 billion by June 30, 2011. However, a member for an 11 per cent revenue (customs) collection has been appointed without any delay.

This delay in posting, according to one senior tax official, might be because of the friction between the district management Group (DMG) and Tax Group that has widened following the appointments of chairmen from the DMG in past years.

The delay has hampered the working of tax collection. “There is a complete chaos and confusion at all levels, in the headquarters and field formations. Files are piling up in offices as there is no one to dispose it of,” the official said.

IRS member deals with income tax, general sales tax and federal excise duty under the World Bank backed reformed project of tax machinery. The delay in appointing the member for the past five days could have a disastrous impact on revenue collection at a time when the FBR struggles to plug loopholes in the tax machinery to generate a few additional billions.

Salman Siddiq, a DMG officer was appointed chairman FBR last month replacing his predecessor Sohail Ahmad who too was from DMG, and had reshuffled the top tax officials in a mid fiscal year sending fears of uncertainty in the board as well as across the field formations.

Five senior tax officials Shahid Hussain Asad, Khalid Aziz Bant, Israr Rauf, Aqeel Usman and Khawar Khursheed Bhutt are getting salaries without any portfolios, the official said.

The FBR chairman was approached by Dawn for a feedback on delay in appointing a member IRS but he did not respond.

IMF senior officials, Masood Ahmed, Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department of the International Monetary Fund along with his Assistant Director Adnan Mazarei are currently visiting Pakistan to get a direct feedback on the economic reforms including power sector and expansion of the narrow tax base.

Another tax official said it could be possible that the FBR chairman might be looking for a right person for the slot. However, he did not rule out internal politics over the appointment of such a high post.

Similarly, there is tension between the customs officials and income tax officials over the establishment of the IRS under the World Bank backed tax reforms project. As a result of these reforms, the two tax groups are fighting over the ownership of the sales tax and federal excise duty collection. This fighting is only for getting maximum share in postings by both groups.

Source:
Govt yet to appoint member Inland Revenue | DAWN.COM | Latest news, Breaking news, Pakistan News, World news, business, sport and multimedia

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When you have to shoot, shoot. Don't talk. ~ The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

Officials’ transfer to hurt FBR performance

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), which is already struggling to identify loopholes in the tax machinery, has received another setback in the shape of transfer of top officials. On Jan 26, 16 top officials of the tax machinery were shuffled around.The tax officials have to raise more than Rs944 billion in the next six months. They had to collect Rs1,604 billion in the current fiscal year and have collected Rs660 bil lion in its first half.

An official expressed the doubt whether the new team would be able to settle down in time and meet the revenue target.

Some officials said friction between the District Management Group (DMG) and officers with a tax background might also hamper the working of the FBR.

The appointment of DMG officers as heads of specialised departments might be an obstacle in reforms being carried out, they said.

DMG officer Salman Siddiq was appointed the FBR chairman last month. His predecessor Sohail Ahmad also belongs to the DMG and his appointment had faced resistance.

According to an official, the new chairman has not only transferred members of the FBR but also reshuffled 10 senior tax officers in important collectorates and large taxpayers’ units across the country. The collectors of preventive, appraisement, Port Qasim and Lahore and Peshawar model customs sections have been transferred in the middle of the fiscal year.

Similarly, there is tension between officials with a customs background and those who deal with income tax over the implementation of a World Bank-backed tax reforms project. “Both groups are fighting over posts at the FBR and in the field,” an official said.

With these differences among them, it is unlikely that tax officials will be able to plug loopholes and unearth evasion.

A senior tax official said there were no concrete proposals with the department to be discussed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to yield additional revenue.

IMF’s Director for Middle East and Central Asia Masood Ahmed and Assistant Director Adnan Mazarei are due here on Sunday.

According to an official, they will meet senior officers of the finance ministry and political leaders, especially those of the Pakistan’s Muslim League-N, to get feedback on economic reforms, including those pertaining to the power sector and expansion of the tax base.

Source:
Officials’ transfer to hurt FBR performance

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When you have to shoot, shoot. Don't talk. ~ The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

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When you have to shoot, shoot. Don't talk. ~ The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

This is a must watch.

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When you have to shoot, shoot. Don't talk. ~ The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

Four policemen shot dead: DC, engineer kidnapped

QUETTA, Feb 2: Armed men killed four policemen and kidnapped a deputy commissioner, an engineer and eight security men in Aab-i-Gum area of Bolan district in separate incidents early on Wednesday. Dawn

Among the slain policemen was the SHO of Dera Allahyar police station, Balochistan Home Secretary Akbar Hussain Durrani told , adding that eight of the kidnap victims, including seven security men, had been freed by the evening.

“The armed men involved were wearing commando uniforms of the security forces,” he said.

A spokesman for the Baloch Liberation Army, Meerak Baloch, said the BLA was behind the attacks.

The law-enforcement agencies have launched a search operation in the mountainous areas of Machh to get the kidnap victims freed.

“We are making all out efforts for safe recovery of the deputy commissioner and engineer,” Balochistan`s Inspector General of Police, Malik Iqbal, said. Sources said the deputy commissioner of Jhal Magsi, Shaukat Marghazani, was on his way to Quetta in his official vehicle from Jhal Magsi along with his family and guards late on Tuesday night.

When he reached the Aab-i-Gum area about two dozen armed men intercepted his vehicle and kidnapped him after overpowering his guards.

“Armed men snatched weapons from the security men and kidnapped them along with the deputy commissioner,” an official of the Machh administration said.

However, he added, the attackers allowed the family of the deputy commissioner to go.

In the same area, armed men intercepted an engineer of the Balochistan Development Authority, Mohammad Nawaz, and kidnapped him, leaving his car behind.

The sources said that about two hours after the engineer was kidnapped a police contingent was passing through the area when armed men opened fire on them. Four policemen were killed.

Their bodies were found along the road and they were identified as Sub-Inspector Ali Nawaz Khosa, Constables Ghulam Rasool and Fakhruddin and driver Ghulam Din.

The sources said that a fifth policeman, identified as Sahib Khan, was missing.

Assistant Commissioner Machh Qaim Khan Lashari said that security forces had got eight kidnapped people — four policemen, two Levies Force personnel, a security guard and a child — freed.

Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raisani announced Rs2 million and Police Foundation Rs100,000 each for the slain policemen.

Source:
Four policemen shot dead: DC, engineer kidnapped | DAWN.COM | Latest news, Breaking news, Pakistan News, World news, business, sport and multimedia

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When you have to shoot, shoot. Don't talk. ~ The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

__________________
When you have to shoot, shoot. Don't talk. ~ The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

Ghosts from the past: Zia-era promotion criteria may be reversed

ISLAMABAD: The Central Selection Board (CSB) is considering reversing the promotion policy introduced by General Ziaul Haq by elevating top bureaucrats with a work experience of 15 years instead of 17 into grade-20.

The decision was made during the meeting of the CSB, which was chaired by Justice (retd) Rana Bhagwandas.

Under the previous set of rules, a gazetted officer was required to have a working experience of five years in BS-17, seven years in BS-18 and five years in BS-19 for elevation to grade-20.

The issue surfaced when the CSB took up the matter of promotion of District Management Group (DMG) officer Ahsan Ali Mangi. He had served just 14 years on gazetted posts.

A few years ago, sources said, two officers, one from DMG and other belonging to Police Service of Pakistan, with less than required work experience were recommended for elevation into BS-19. They had been given acting charges.

This time, the CSB has decided to request the prime minister to formulate new rules to avoid recurrence of such issues.

Meanwhile, sources said the CSB has recommended elevation of four senior joint secretaries into BS-21, including Sikandar Ahmad Rai, Yameen Khan, Ameer Ashraf and Sikandar Ismael.

The selection board also recommended the elevation of seven DMG officers into BS-20. The board is also said to have suggested the elevation of the law ministry’s deputy draftsman, Khashiur Rehman, into BS-20.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 10th, 2011.

Source:
Ghosts from the past: Zia-era promotion criteria may be reversed – The Express Tribune

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When you have to shoot, shoot. Don't talk. ~ The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

Punjab right to information law

Sir: Contrary to the repeated claims made by the PML-N leadership, functioning of the Punjab government is not so open and transparent. Top bureaucrats belonging to the District Management Group (DMG) keep bragging about being ‘best of the best’ and behave as if they are living in a colonial era. No wonder the District Coordination Officers (DCOs) of Okara and Sahiwal did not provide even catalogued information pertaining to development schemes, which was sought under Article 137 of the Local Government Ordinance. Apart from this legal provision, which is applicable only to district government departments, there is no law under which citizens can demand information from the provincial departments about the way public funds are being utilised, effectively denying a fundamental right to 100 million residents of Punjab. Under Article 19-A of the constitution, access to information is a fundamental right now and the Punjab government is constitutionally bound to enact a right to information law. It is only through the right of having access to official documents that the bureaucracy can be made subservient to the people and honesty ensured in utilisation of public money. Instead of making tall claims about good governance in Punjab, the PML-N leadership should walk the talk and provide its citizens an easy mechanism so that they could have access to information held by different departments.

ZAHID ABDULLAH
Islamabad

Source:
Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan

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When you have to shoot, shoot. Don't talk. ~ The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

Retired bureaucrats still being employed

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs has employed over a dozen retired bureaucrats on senior positions on a contract basis, The Express Tribune has learnt.

“Many retired bureaucrats have been hired at gazetted posts, including senior legislative advisers,” sources within the establishment division said.

Two senior legislative advisers, six senior joint secretaries, solicitor-general of the ministry and six section officers have been employed on a contractual basis.

Malik Hakim Khan has been working in the ministry as a senior legislative adviser in the MP-I scale, which is the most lucrative package being offered by the ministry. Muhammad Munir Leghari has also been appointed as senior legislative adviser on MP-II scale.

Nasir Ali Shah was appointed on a contract as the solicitor-general, another key slot in the ministry meant to deal with the government’s legal issues.

Senior Joint Secretary Administration Rana Baqir Ali is among the six who have been employed on a contractual basis. The other five are Dr Riaz Mehmood, Syed Sultan Shah, Attaullah Bangash, Syed Muhammad Rafiq Shah and Manzoor Ahmed Mirza.

There are six section officers in the law ministry who were hired after their retirement from other government departments. Their names are: Maqbool Hussain Malik, Muhammad Siddiq, Malik Zulfiqar Hussain, Dost Muhammad, Abdul Munaaf Khattak and Malik Mumtaz.

But sources in the law ministry defended the selection of these bureaucrats saying, “The slots were offered to retired officers who showed great know how in the field of law.”

“Legal expertise is required for a legislative adviser and senior joint secretaries. That is why these persons have been appointed on a contractual basis,” a senior official said on condition of anonymity.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 12th, 2011.

Source:
Retired bureaucrats still being employed – The Express Tribune

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When you have to shoot, shoot. Don't talk. ~ The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly